District K-12 Educators In-Serviced on Teaching Tolerance
With the goal of improving school climate and meeting students’ social and emotional needs, 25 K-12 educators in the Washington Township Public Schools spent November 8th at an in-District in-service with Kim Burkhalter and Sarah Blackburn from the Southern Poverty Law Center on the topic of teaching tolerance. Burkhalter and Blackburn shared techniques for discussing race, racism and other difficult topics with students and strategies for how to respond to hate and bias at school.
The Southern Poverty Law Center’s Teaching Tolerance program (www.tolerance.org) was founded in 1991 to prevent the growth of hate and eradicate racism through educational tools and resources, including films and curricula. The program views tolerance as a way of thinking, feeling, and acting on inequities.
“As part of our District’s strategic plan to improve school climate, our educators picked up valuable information and resources,” director of secondary education Dr. Steve Gregor said. “The Teaching Tolerance program will help us not only to create inclusive school communities where all students are respected and valued, but also assist us in educating our students on how to challenge prejudice and bias.”